Retribution
by Anchor654
Summary: Commander Shepard, Liara, and Wrex are caught within the whirlwind of an ambush upon an uncharted world. Shepard must find a way to get his team out of this deadly situation and back to the safety of the Normandy. But, what are the odds...
1. Ambush

_Hello everyone. This story is rated 'T' due to war violence and intense action. There is a possibility of more descriptive/detailed violence in later chapters (not too graphic though), so I may up the rating at a later date to be safe. If you ever feel in any way that the rating needs to be changed, feel free to let me know. I promise, I don't bite! :)_

_Okay, the idea for this story came to me as a possible side mission occuring within the plot of Mass Effect #1, but could also possibly take place after the completion of the main plot. Furthermore, Restitution could potentially be considered AU (alternate universe) due to a one of many possible conclusions to the story. Let's just say I haven't exactly decided upon the fate of a particular character yet... :P_

_So, without any further drabbles, here is chapter 1!_

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_**~Restitution~**_

_**Chapter 1:**_

Commander Shepard surveyed the situation around him, bullets whizzing by and ricocheting off the ground near his feet. A band of mercenaries have ambushed his team upon a barren and rocky uncharted world. The reddish orange atmosphere gave an ominous aura to the battlefield while small waves of sand swirled across the desolate valley. Shepard leaned ever so slightly to the side of a large boulder acting as cover for him and Wrex. Through the soft haze in the air, Shepard could make out several mercs taking cover behind boulders and the scattered remains of an abandoned rover of ancient times. He could count at least ten in their number, but something told him there were more.

Suddenly, the piece of rock right beside Commander Shepard's face exploded into a cacophony of debris, and a loud crack, in turn, reverberated throughout the air. He recoiled back and fell to the ground with his hand coming up to his face as small bits of rock left scrapes and gashes upon his right cheek and forehead.

Wrex saw him go down, and, fearing the worst, immediately dashed across to him. The Krogan grabbed the collar of Shepard's armor and pulled him back behind cover against the large boulder.

"Commander Shepard?!" Wrex's gruff voice resounded across to Shepard through the chaos of the battle and the ringing within his ear. Even though the Krogan was always known for his tough and gritty demeanor, the Commander was certain that he discerned a hint of concern within Wrex's tone.

Shepard turned his head toward the crouching Krogan, the ringing in his ear somewhat distracting him, and gave his teammate an awkward nod. "I'm alright." Wrex, assured enough for the moment that his leader was alright, engrossed himself within the battle once again. The Commander then shifted his weight, coming to a more sturdy seated position against the boulder, and he could feel the blood begin to saunter down from his forehead as he peered towards the horizon.

The sniper must have been among the hills off in the distance… Mercenary groups did not just appear in the middle of nowhere.. especially with a well placed sniper. Shepard knew that this attack was deliberate and planned.

Letting out a sigh, he brought his assault rifle up closer to his chest. "They were expecting us."

"Ya think, Shepard?" Wrex then abruptly slung his shotgun around and made quick work of an unfortunate Batarian merc who ventured too close. The Krogan let out a small sadistic chuckle as the mercenary slumped to the ground, making Shepard mentally cringe. The Krogan seemed to always have a lust for blood, and this facet of the alien's demeanor always somewhat disturbed the Commander. He wouldn't argue with his teammate though; it was this very demeanor that made the Krogan so effective in battle. Shepard would make it a point to always stay on his good side…

Shepard glanced back to his right over toward Liara. She was a few meters away, stuck behind a significantly smaller rock, having to lay on her back in order to keep her head from being exposed to gunfire. With her right hand grasping her pistol, her left was clutching at her thigh with a purplish blue oozing out between her fingers, leaving a small puddle upon the sandy ground beside her. Shepard saw that her eyes were clinched shut with pain streaking across her face as she would involuntarily flinch at bullets impacting the boulder and ground around her.

Shepard tried to get her attention amid the turmoil. "Liara!" Her eyes shot open into wide orbs, and she carefully turned her head toward the sound of her name. Shepard could see the panic and desperation within her wide eyes; it was as if she was pleading to him.

Shepard had to get her out of there; she would not last in that position for much longer. The safety of his team came before all else. "Try not to move! I'm coming to get you out of there!"

The Commander then quickly turned and looked up to Wrex. "Wrex, I need a distraction!" That's all the instruction that the Krogan needed in order to fulfill Commander Shepard's order. Wrex just said a gruff, "Sure thing," and began arming grenades.

Shepard took a moment to stand back up and lean against the boulder's rough surface. Surprisingly, it was somewhat difficult for him to get to his feet as his head felt like a fish bowl. His equilibrium was still hindered from the concussive sniper shot that nearly hit him square in the forehead earlier. He braced himself against the boulder with his left hand, steadying himself, and sharply closed his eyes. Time seemed to slow down for him as he re-focused his mind, drowning out the chaos of the battle. Standing up straighter, he then opened his steel blue eyes with a renewed light, and placed his rifle upon the ground, leaning it against the massive rock. Then looking up through piercing eyes to Wrex, he exclaimed, "Now!"

Wrex immediately pounced out of cover, spraying the mercs with rifle fire, and threw two grenades towards them. The mercs looked out of their cover in horror at the massive Krogan rumbling toward them. Subsequently, Shepard ignited a smoke grenade in front of him and leapt out of cover toward Liara. Hopefully it would be enough to confuse the sniper in the distance…

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There's the end of chapter 1! Hope you liked it!

Reviews and/or comments are much appreciated! (And just fun to read) :)


	2. He Did Not Wait for Three

_This story is rated 'T' due to war violence and intense action. If you ever feel in any way that the rating needs to be changed, feel free to let me know. I promise, I don't bite! :)_

_In this chapter, I explored the relationship between Liara and Shepard. It is my impression that they are merely friends in my story. I think of them having a different type of "love" for each other; the type that a brother and sister may have for each other I guess is what I was going for, so it's deeper than just 'friends' as well. Throughout the entire game of Mass Effect #1, I felt like Liara was out of her element. Her element is science and research, not guns and battlefields. Sure, she has biotics, but what Asari doesn't? In any case, she looks to Shepard for help and assurance throughout the journey, and, well, this side mission is no exception..._

_I'd like to hear y'alls thoughts to about them too! :)_

_Anyway, here is chapter 2! Happy reading!_

_**Retribution:**_

**He Did Not Wait for Three**

_**Chapter 2:**_

Liara could hardly believe her eyes; Commander Shepard sprinting across the battlefield… for _her_. It all seemed so surreal to her; the smoke appeared to wrap around and encircle the Commander within its protective sheen, shadowing him from the sniper in the distance.

Reaching her side, he gave her what seemed to be an assuring smirk, and scooped her up in his arms. Liara let out a pained cry as her injured leg banged against his hard armor. Yet, she fought through her pain and desperately gripped her left arm around Shepard's neck while he began the long trek through the large curtain of smoke once again. "Hold on!"

By this time though, the wind from the hazy red planet began to blow and slowly unveil their protective curtain. As a result, the duo became visible to the now diminished mercs behind the rover. They began to turn their attention away from the warmongering Krogan and focus their might upon the human spectre instead.

Seeing this, Liara gritted her teeth and took aim with her pistol, hoping to make the mercs hesitate and give them enough time to reach the safety of the boulder. Both Shepard and Liara's shields erupted in bubbles of blue as projectiles plunged into their protective barriers.

A loud crack could suddenly be heard as well reverberating throughout the battlefield. The sniper must have caught on to the diversion and began targeting blindly at the diminishing smoke screen.

The piercing sound shrieked within Liara's sensitive Asari ears, and she instinctively released a biotic barrier as she ceased firing and withdrew her right hand to her face. Interestingly, it encompassed not only Liara, but Commander Shepard as well as he carried her across the rocky landscape of battle. The Commander did not have time to consider the feat though; he was just thankful for the additional protection as bullets continually pounded against both barriers now surrounding them.

Nearly as quickly as it came though, the biotic barrier disappeared, leaving only their weakened shields as protection. Thankfully though, Shepard reached the safety of the boulder before the sniper could get a clear shot at them.

He gently placed Liara down upon the sandy surface, propping her up against the boulder's side. "Wrex! We're clear!" His eyes then shot across the horizon surrounding his team as his mind began to determine the next mode of action.

He shook his head in aggravation as he came to realize their odds. They were stuck within a low lying valley, mountains and hills on either side of them. The mercs ahead of them cut off their only route to the Mako while the sniper in the distance would no doubt pick them off one by one if they would "tactically retreat" to the other end of the valley. It simply did not look good.

Liara suddenly let out a pained moan as she attempted to rest her injured leg flatly upon the ground. Shepard's focus then instantly went to her, and he saw that what little energy she had before was gone. He gently graced a hand upon her shoulder, while looking into her eyes with empathy. "Try not to use your muscles."

Then placing one hand underneath her knee and the other gently on top, Shepard began to softly extend her leg upon the ground as Liara looked into his eyes with a mixture of thankfulness and pain. Shepard glanced up to her and could still see her fear mixed within her emotions. He raised his eyebrows in reassurance with sincerity in his voice, "I'm going to get us out of this." Liara's fear was somewhat quelled at his words; however, her uneasy feeling still remained.

Wrex came back around to the boulder's cover, and the Krogan, even though panting, did not seem fatigued. In fact, he seemed rejuvenated in a certain sick way. "Five down, four more to go Shepard." He leaned out of cover once more to fire more rounds at the remaining mercs. "Then all we have is that sniper to worry about."

Shepard looked over his shoulder to Wrex. "Alright.. Be sure to keep an eye on those mercs; don't let them get too close."

Shepard then reached into a small pack and retrieved a pack of medigel… the last one. Shepard somewhat hesitated, eyeing the pack in his hand; he hated to still be within the tide of battle without the guarantee of medigel.

However, as his eyes drifted towards Liara's wound, he knew he had no choice. He tore the pack open and began to apply the sticky substance.

Liara spoke in a meek voice as she attempted to fight back the screams of pain now welling up within her throat, _"Isn't.. that.. the last one?"_

Commander Shepard merely continued to apply the medical gel and then looked back up to her eyes in a serious expression after he finished. "You need it."

Wrex's shotgun suddenly fired in a loud reverberating sound. "_Three_ more to go; '_hmpf'_.. look at 'em squirm." The remaining mercs began to panic behind the ancient rover as their numbers continued to diminish, sporadically spraying the entire area with rifle blasts.

Liara timidly watched the Commander as he began to examine her wound further. "_Dammit_." Shepard reached within the same satchel as before and pulled out a tourniquet, placing it around her leg above the bullet wound. The medigel was not doing enough to stop the bleeding, and this fact began to worry him.

Placing one hand upon her leg and the other around the tourniquet's end, he looked up to her in an almost apologetic manner. "This is gonna hurt a little.." Liara's eyes widened, a squeamish look glinting upon her face. "On the count of three…"

Liara shook her head, as if she had a choice, and gave a sheepish, "_Okay_." The Commander began to count, "One… two…"

He did not wait for three...

He quickly pulled upon the tourniquet, tightening it securely around her thigh. Liara resultantly let out the pained yell that was previously barricaded within her throat, no longer able to keep it inside.

Shepard quickly grabbed both of her arms, trying to steady her and prevent further injury, and held her tightly. He put his face closely up to hers and softly said, "All right, all right, it's all done Liara."

She began to settle down, tears welling up within her eyes as she looked at him through wide and childlike orbs, making Shepard pause for a moment as he absorbed her piercing stare. It was so full of pain and desperation… helplessness. Seeing her like this made his heart skip a beat; he wanted to take her pain away, but there was nothing else he could do…

He grasped her hands and placed them upon her wound. "Place your hands here and apply pressure, okay?"

Letting a tear fall from her eye and a sob escape her throat, she gave Shepard a nod. He placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder, squeezing, and urgently opened his comm. link. "Joker, this is Shepard, do you read?" His voice somewhat startled him after he spoke, for it came out more frantic and urgent than he intended.

"Loud and clear Commander."

"Meet us at the rendezvous site ASAP with Dr. Chakwas at the ready. We have a medical emergency."

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Don't worry! To be continued shortly!! :)

I already have much of the story written; I just still have that _decision_ to make remember? hehe I'd like to hear who you think I might be talking about :)


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